


Sinners

by Cyriusli



Category: One Piece
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2015-07-20
Packaged: 2018-04-10 07:19:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4382456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyriusli/pseuds/Cyriusli
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I owe Shaetil a huge thanks for sparking this idea for me. Writing has been really hard lately and she got me back on track!</p>
    </blockquote>





	Sinners

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shaetil (AlphaShae)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlphaShae/gifts).



> I owe Shaetil a huge thanks for sparking this idea for me. Writing has been really hard lately and she got me back on track!

Sanji's jaw dropped open even as a hand came up to cover his nose. The smell of blood was thick and heavy in the air. A broken lamp swung from the ceiling of the room, one bulb from three remaining lit. As it swayed, it cast eery shadows about the stained walls and soaked flooring.

Sanji would have liked to pretend he didn't know what had happened here, but it was clear as day to him what had caused this amount of carnage. Broken bodies littered the floor and against the far wall, one was even propped against it, slumped awkwardly. The blond was no stranger to death, but even this made his blood run cold and his stomach turn.

Hand still covering his mouth, the taste of blood on his tongue, the chef cleared his throat and carefully called out. “Zoro?” He held his breath as he waited, but there was no answer. In fact, the longer Sanji listened, the deeper the quiet grew. A shudder ran down his spine and he was about to turn away, to go and try and find his nakama somewhere else, when he caught sight of a cracked door. Had Zoro gone through there? Where had that useless swordsman gotten off to this time?

Carefully, Sanji picked his way through the broken bodies, slipping once in a pool of dark rich blood. Gagging, he swallowed thickly and wrapped his hand around the handle of the cracked door. About eye level was a single bloody hand print. He didn't know why he did it, but Sanji raised his own hand to it, pulling it back quickly when he realized it almost matched perfectly with his own. No doubt in his mind Zoro had come this way, but what was that marimo up to?

“Oi oi,” It was darker in this next room and almost without thinking Sanji raised his hand in search of a light switch near the door. His fingers found nothing, so instead his fished out his lighter and flicked the flame into life. The blond almost wished he hadn't.

More bodies and unneeded death filled this room as well. He knew it had been a while since the crew had gotten into a good fight. And Zoro had seemed a little too eager to rush in against the onslaught of worthless pirates that tried to cross them, but this was too much, even for the renowned Pirate Hunter.

“ _Zoro_ ,” he hissed again, holding his lighter out in front of himself and gingerly stepping over the bodies that trailed across the room. Carefully, Sanji took each step, making sure to not step on the limbs or... _oh god_ , pieces of limbs as he made his way towards another open door.

There was a sliver of light beyond this room and Sanji was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame. He needed to find Zoro and get out of here. The rest of the crew was most likely back at the Sunny by now, tending to minor injuries they acquired over the course of this facade.

The scream of agony and heavy thud came unexpectedly, making Sanji jump. His lighter flew from his fingers and the small flame vanished instantly, submerging him in complete darkness. Blinking as his eyes focused in on that thin line of light, the chef heard a sick squelching sound come from behind the door. It sounded familiar in a way and Sanji's heart leapt into his throat. Could it be Zoro finishing off the last of some foe? Perhaps the moron was ready to go back to the ship now?

He stumbled once, over what, he didn't want to think about and finally pressed a hand to the door. Sanji tensed for the possibility that it wasn't his crew mate on the other side, but hoped for the best just the same.

The door creaked open, making him wince, the noise sounding way too loud to Sanji's ears and carefully slipped through the space he had made. Zoro was indeed here, standing with his back to the door. The other man was breathing heavily, shoulders rising and falling sharply as he tried to catch his breath.

His jacket was off his shoulders, his coat arms almost dragging on the blood covered ground. Sanji curled his lip in disgust as trails of sweat and blood moved down the flawless skin of the swordsman's back. Zoro's head snapped to the side and Sanji paused in his movements, eyes focusing on the small bit of green he could see from under the black bandana. He didn't want to think about the still convulsing body that was bleeding out on the floor at the other man's feet.

“Zoro,” he started slowly, not really sure what he was dealing with right now and took a cautious step forwards. He couldn't see Zoro's face at all, but he didn't need to either.

The swordsman growled and flexed his grip on his swords. Sanji could hear the woven grips protest under the strength in those hands. Sanji jerked to a stop. The air felt heavy with his aura and that was enough for Sanji to gain an understanding of what exactly he was dealing with. He spoke his name again, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly and trying to gain a read off of how the other man was going to react.

In the stillness of the air, Sanji heard a drop of blood fall from the end of that cursed blade and everything moved at once. Zoro whipped around, body lowering and coiling for an attack even as he swung out with the black blade. Sanji leaned back, feeling the wind of the strike across his face and sensing the old weapon's voice as it moved past him.

Hissing, he flipped back, hands instantly getting covered in still warm blood and Sanji landed on his feet as he tried to repress the urge to scream. He shook his hands, spraying flecks of blood across the wall behind him. Snapping his hands into fists, he glared Zoro down. “You son-of-a-bitch!” Sanji yelled at him. “What do you think you're doing?”

The swordsman didn't answer. Instead he rolled his head, cracking his neck and tipping his head forwards towards Sanji. He could see his remaining eye gleaming from the light of the lamp in the ceiling, making the gray iris shine evilly. A sadistic grin broke out across his mouth and Sanji's focus went right to the sharp canines he could see even from across the room.

Zoro shifted his grip on his weapons and struck again, making Sanji back pedal even more. The chef's shoulders hit the wall hard, knocking the air from his lungs and he gasped in a breath before he was able to duck under a swing and skirt around Zoro to the other side of the room. “What the fuck you crazy ass moss ball?! You lose your damned mind or something? Let's go!”

Tapping his toes against the slick flooring, Sanji fished a cigarette out of his pocket, growling when he remembered his lighter was gone. Biting down on the filter, he pointed at the other man. “You're buying me a shitty new lighter at port. Lost it cause of you asshole.”

Zoro remained silent, his feral grin widening ever so slightly. Sanji could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise in alarm. Something was off; something wasn't right. “Oi,” he jerked his head in a slight nod at his nakama. “You feeling okay?”

The swordsman took a deep breath. The blond recognized it as something he did to center himself and it sparked a slight hope with in him. Maybe Zoro was okay now? This wouldn't have been the first time since they had all gotten back together that Sanji had been the one to find him still submerged in blood lust. He didn't fully know what had happened to the marimo during those two years, but anyone who came back missing an eye and seemingly more frightening, must have gone through some serious shit.

That was no reason to relax however. Sanji bit down on the filter of his smoke, body tensed for a fight as he waited for the slightest hint of movement from his counterpart. Zoro had been fast before and now, if he put his mind to it, there were times where Sanji barely had time to react before that fucker was in his space. He didn't like to admit that to himself, but it always kept him on his toes when they fought and sparred. Even now he frowned at it, and this time he felt his life really did depend on it.

Sanji felt Zoro wasn't going to back down this time. Wasn't going to have the control over himself to stop if he got within that breath of actually seriously hurting the chef. Swallowing thickly, the blond took a deep breath. He kept his voice calm, raising one hand up and hoping he sounded steadier than he felt. “Zoro...”

Zoro grunted at him, entire body twitching in reaction to his name. Sanji watched the grip on the black blade flex ever so slightly before he raised his arm towards the white weapon. Fuck. If he actually tried to use Santoryuu in here Sanji would be in trouble. This little room was not big enough for him to dodge properly, nor would it hold up against the strength of the attack. Even something as simple as Oni Giri would destroy this place, more than likely burying them both in tons of rubble.

Eyes going wide, Sanji watched as Zoro pulled his dearest of weapons, only briefly pausing before bringing towards his mouth. Sanji didn't have time to think, if he got that weapon between his teeth it would be over. He darted forwards, swinging around with a kick to, at the very least, dislodge the swordsman from his current train of thought and buy Sanji more time.

It partly worked, Zoro leaned back to avoid the attack, bringing the cursed blade up to counter. The hum of excitement that ran up Sanji's leg at the impact wasn't Zoro's, but the weapon's. He was familiar with it, as that blade had tried time and time again to taste his blood without its master's permission.

Sanji kicked back, landing lightly on the slick floor and slipped to one knee. He heard the soft clink and looked up to see those sharp canines digging into the aged grip of that white blade. “Shit.” Cursing under his breath, he stood back up, body easily settling into a position that allowed him to either attack or defend easily.

One side of his mouth quirked up into a smile around the hilt of his weapon as Zoro crouched low into an offensive stance. He didn't raise his arms much from his sides, but Sanji knew it wouldn't matter. The shear force of any Santoryuu attack, even an unnamed one, was going to shake this building to the ground. “Wait now, you fucker!” Sanji yelled and jumped forwards for an attack once more.

Zoro dodged idly, spinning to face Sanji as the blond slammed his shoulder against the wall. He spun, pressing his shoulders tight to it before kicking off and attacking again. He didn't have a lot of room to work with either, the small room harboring his attempts to gain speed. Nor did Sanji want to use any actual attacks on his nakama either. He wasn't out to hurt Zoro, he just didn't want to get hurt either.

His heel slid along the cursed weapon once more, barely giving Sanji a hold to kick off from. Catching Zoro tip his head through his bangs, Sanji barely jumped back in time before that silver blade bit into his skin. Zoro growled deep in his throat and spun to face Sanji once more, not even pausing or caring about the previous mess he had left on the floor. Sanji back pedaled once more, tripping over a corpse and almost falling onto his ass.

The blond's own reaction time being the only thing saving him from landing, and giving him a second he needed to twist out of Zoro's attack. The blades bit into the wall, deep gouges through the concrete making Sanji suck in a shocked breath as he took the damage in. The chef didn't linger however, flipping to his hands and swinging out with his legs in an attempt to knock Zoro off his feet.

He caught him behind one leg, the top of his foot meeting the swordsman's calf and brought him to one knee. Zoro barely seemed to notice as he fell, body catching himself in the new angle easily as he prepared to strike from there.

“Fucking hell Zoro!” Sanji growled out, twisting his body and rising to his feet. He planted one foot on the swordsman's shoulder and braced all his weight behind it, hoping to pin him back to the ground. The marimo fought him, much as Sanji thought he would and he jumped back as he raised the black blade to counter. “Snap outta it, you asshole!”

Okay, new tactic. Spinning, Sanji used Zoro's previous marks in the wall to bring it down, hoping that it would give him more room. To his sheer delight, light flooded in and Sanji looked over his shoulder back to Zoro, before he jumped out into the small enclosed courtyard. Red filled the sky from the setting sun and Sanji didn't like the way it cast red hues across the entire area.

Skidding to a spot several paces away, he waited till Zoro crossed the threshold he had made before jumping into the air and coming down for an attack. He had the leverage out here now to really fight back and that was just what the chef had been hoping for. Maybe now he could knock some sense into the swordsman, or at the very least, knock him out and drag his useless sorry ass back to the Sunny.

Of course this meant Zoro had more room to maneuver as well and he countered Sanji's attack with a swing of his arms as he crossed his blades in front of his chest. Again he turned his head to strike with his oldest blade, the rays of the sun giving a red glint to the pure evil excitement in Zoro's remaining eye.

How did he get through to him? Sanji flipped back, arcing through the air to land easily on his feet. Grinding his cigarette between his teeth, he tapped his foot on the packed dirt and shifted back to attack. He needed to end this and quickly.

Zoro came at him first, swinging his weapons with a natural precision Sanji knew he had mastered years before hand. The chef met him head on, the soles of his shoes meeting steel time and time again as they came together to break apart. Neither gained the upper hand and Sanji knew he sure as hell wasn't going to back down either.

Finally they broke apart and Sanji landed gracefully on his feet once more. He spit what was remaining of his cigarette off to the side and tensed his legs. The blond could feel the familiar burn in them from an intense spar with Zoro, his entire being humming with an energy that he would have welcomed at any other time.

Right now though, as he glanced down to fish out a new butt to chew on, his hand stopped and his blood ran cold. He could barely hear Zoro utter the single word, but it didn't matter; he'd said it and as Sanji snapped his head up, eyes going wide, he knew shit was way beyond what he thought it was.

To be on the outside looking in at Zoro when he took his Asura form was breathtaking, truly, even Sanji could admit that. The six arms and nine swords poised to strike was always something that made him smirk at the swordsman's current foe. Right now though, it froze him to his place, all three silver blades seeming to drip with the dying red rays of the sun as three mouths smirked from white hilts.

Zoro was truly a demon in human form right now as he took a deep inhale, all the arms shifting ever so slightly, grips changing on their weapons to focus in on Sanji. There would be no hiding or dodging this attack. Even as one, each head and set of arms seemed to function separately and Sanji had no doubt that he would get cut by at least one of the nine weapons when Zoro did strike.

The chef gulped loudly, taking a shaky step back, hoping to try one last time to talk the swordsman down. “Oi, Zoro,” he broke off, clearing his throat and trying again. “Hold on just a minute here. This isn't like you. Come on, I know we have our differences, but it's me; Sanji. The shit cook remember?”

Asura wasn't listening. Something sparked across the face directly facing Sanji and the other two tipped to face him as well. The higher arms raised their copies of their weapons a little more as the swordsman crossed his arms in front of himself.

“Dammit Marimo!” the blond snarled, slamming his cigarette against his teeth. He'd just have to attack him head on. Zoro had been lost like this before, somehow giving in to his more carnal side, but never had Sanji seen him lose this kind of control. “I know you're in there fucker! Snap out of it!”

He pushed off the ground, gaining momentum quickly with a single kick of Sky Walk and coming around with a strong kick. He wasn't surprised at all when his attack was blocked by the crossed blades at Zoro's chest. As he hovered in the air for a split second, he let out a shocked pant as the tips of the other weapons loomed close to his person. None of them had touched him, but if Sanji so much as flicked his head to move his hair from his eyes, he would get cut. So Zoro was still in some sort of control, only if barely.

Kicking away, Sanji landed once more, unable to help the smirk that flit across his face. He could do this. He could break Asura's hold on the swordsman and then the two could go back to the ship. Later, when this was all over, he could kick Zoro's skull in, but right now, he needed to get his nakama back to the surface of his consciousness.

He wasn't even sure how long Zoro could hold this demon form anymore. He'd only used it sparingly since the New World and each time he'd been in control of it. What had happened this time to finally make the other man snap? Or had that cursed blade finally unleashed itself upon its master?

These questions and more, Sanji would ask later, right now, he needed to move.

Two of the three eyes were watching him and Zoro shifted slightly so the third could as well. Teeth were bared around white hilts in sick sadistic grins to show the swordsman's pleasure in this encounter.  _ Yeah, you would enjoy this, _ Sanji thought to himself, lowering his body's center to attack once more. He was simply thankful that so far Asura had stayed on the defensive side of this fight.

The sun was sinking lower, the red light now bathing them both and Sanji shuddered, actually losing track of what was blood on that tanned skin and what wasn't. His eyes drank in the fading rays, glowing red from under his bandana, making Zoro truly look like the demon Sanji heard him be called years before.

Crouching low, Zoro brought his weapons high, all three sets of arms crossing them at once for a pending attack. Sanji swore under his breath and tensed to dodge, eyes flitting between each set of three swords to try and track the movements. By the time he heard the gravel grinding under Zoro's boot it was too late.

Sanji sucked in a choked breath, or tried to. Air just didn't seem to want to fill his lungs. Mouth gaping open, he stared wide eyed at the forward face closest to his own. The swordsman's mouth twisted into a sneer around the white hilt and Sanji let out a cry of pain as those blades dug deeper into his person.

He hadn't even seen Zoro move. How could the swordsman be that fast? Was this part of his new Asura abilities? “...Z—Zo—ro...?” The blond manged to get out, raising a hand to his own chest, only to pull it away soaked in bright red blood. It felt warm against his fingers, which was odd as Sanji suddenly felt very cold. It was still hard to breathe, each shallow gasp of air coming in a choked pant.

Sanji didn't know why, but he raised his hand to the swordsman's face, fingers trailing over his cheek and smearing them with blood as his brow furrowed and he fought to breathe. His hand then dropped to Zoro's shoulder, where he tried to fist into his skin, tried to hold on to something as he felt his life ebb away from him. The blond could feel the grip on his nakama's weapons tighten, could feel the shudder run through them into Sanji's own body. He couldn't tell how many had pierced him, but it really didn't matter. They had hit where they needed to and Sanji could feel the blood drain out of him.

Zoro didn't move when Sanji's legs came out from under himself, easily holding the other man's weight on his blades like it was nothing. It was weird to him, there really wasn't much pain and Sanji found that the strangest thing of all. A shudder wreaked his body, not that Sanji could really move much or do anything about it. With a swallow, it took most of his remaining energy to raise his hand to Zoro's face once more.

“Where are you?” He managed to get out after great effort. His eyes were going blurry and Sanji's head felt way too heavy to try and hold up anymore. The gray eye facing him didn't react, didn't seem to recognize Sanji in the slightest and that had to be what hurt him the most. Not the betrayal he felt at his life ending at the hands of his nakama. Nor the fact that he wouldn't never get to see the All Blue, but the fact that to Zoro, right now, Sanji was nothing more than a stranger. Someone that would die by his blades and the swordsman would forget; that hurt him the most.

Sanji could feel the tears slip from his eyes, their tracks hot down his cheeks and couldn't have stopped them if he tried. He didn't fault the swordsman for this, not truly. He knew how dangerous that cursed blade really was. He'd fought it time and time again. Eventually he was bound to lose against it's old curse.  _ I'll take it to my grave _ , Sanji thought to himself.  _ Your secret's safe with me Roronoa Zoro. _

_ Just get stronger.  _ “...beat this...” The blond mumbled out, his hand finally falling away from the swordsman's cheek to drop uselessly at his side. Eyes sliding closed, Sanji let his head fall back, not caring anymore. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't fight. Body shaking uncontrollably now, Sanji simply wanted it all to end, knowing it was approaching quickly. One didn't get attacked by the Strawhat swordsman and usually live to tell about it.

Everything felt so far away, his hold on his consciousness slipping and plunging him into a darkness he would never wake from. Sanji felt weightless, his body numb to sensation. He'd been so close to death so many times, this familiar feeling was almost welcoming to him. Having a lit cigarette would have made this moment perfect, but he didn't and fuck it if he truly didn't care. A groan left him as he felt the weapons leave his body, but Sanji was too weak to fight it any longer.

As the darkness took hold, Sanji thought he felt a hand card through his hair, but that wasn't possible given who he was with. Zoro had never shown any kindness towards Sanji before, so why would the swordsman start now? “I'm sorry, Sanji...forgive me.”

_Idiot. Like I ever even blamed you._


End file.
